Moreover, "store-optimized apps can detect people in the store and provide them with product info, reviews, shopping lists, online checkout and deals--all of which can all help turn mobile-assisted shoppers into loyal customers," says Larry Freed, the CEO of ForeSee, which provides customer experience analytics.
Tip 8: Deploy mobile cash registers. "With new technology from companies like Square, shop floor service assistants can checkout customers anywhere within a store," explains Richard Beck, co-founder and mobile strategist at Digital Possibilities, Inc., a mobile application developer. "That can drive immediate purchase decisions, not leaving customers to change their minds, and reduce lines at checkouts and hence barriers to paying."
Tip 9: Do NOT update your app during the holiday shopping season. "Marketers should avoid updating their mobile application(s) during the shopping season because users may be too busy or distracted to install the updates, and you don't want to be debugging your app during your busiest time of year," says Conway. "Furthermore, approval from the various marketplaces could take longer than expected and cause big timing problems."
Jennifer Lonoff Schiff is a contributor to CIO.com and runs a marketing communications firm focused on helping organizations better interact with their customers, employees and partners.
Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline, on Facebook, and on Google +.
Read more about e-commerce in CIO's E-commerce Drilldown.
